Generative Fill in Photoshop is a gamechanger in photo editing,
although it’s still in beta version.
We can forget about Content Aware Fill and in many cases, we can use it instead of the Clone Stamp tool, too,
to remove disturbing details.
But how does it work with 360 photos?
Let me show you how you can use it when it comes to editing spherical panos.
Of course, it’ll work with traditional images too,
but I’ll share some specific tricks to speed up your 360 photo editing process.
I’ll show you how to fix nadir even in impossible cases,
remove any objects easier than ever,
modify existing objects or add brand new objects to your scene,
and how to do spectacular staging for your virtual tours, even in an empty location, using AI.
Let’s start with nadir correction even in impossible cases, when your shadows are crossing the edge of the image
or there are not enough samples to use Content Aware Fill or the Clone Stamp tool.
In the first case, you can see that we have a very busy ground pattern with a long shadow.
If we take a look at this photo in a flat mode,
you can see that the shadow of the monopod is cut by the edge of the image,
and if we try to fix it with any fill, it won’t work perfectly.
So here comes my first tip for 360 photo editing.
Turn on 3D mode.
Fortunately, Generative Fill works in 3D mode, too, so as a first step I turn my image to 360 view.
I select 3D – Spherical panorama and New Panorama Layer From Selected Layers.
I turn the camera down and try to find a view where all the parts which need to be corrected are in frame.
Then I draw a rough mask around the tripod legs and the shadow. And here comes the magic.
In Photoshop beta you’ll see a brand new Contextual Task Bar with the Generative Fill option.
Just click on it and click on Generate.
It doesn’t matter how big your photo or your selection is,
it always takes almost the same amount of time for the AI to analyze and generate fill.
And every time it’ll give you three different options to choose from.
In this case, I’ll keep the first one.
And here comes another tip for 360 photo editing.
After each step, when you have the perfect result, always merge down the generated layers.
If you leave your generation on a separate layer, it’ll move out from its place,
as you look around in 360 by dragging the background.
So, it’s crucial to click on Merge Down after each step.
Besides fixing nadir with complicated patterns, Generative Fill can be super useful in such cases
when we don’t have enough space to take samples from.
For instance, when we have a very big nadir patch. Just like when I shoot with my motorized pano head.
Let’s check it out.
As you can see, this MIOPS capsule covers a very big part of the nadir,
and we don’t have enough room around it to get samples for a traditional Content Aware Fill or Clone Stamp tool.
So let’s try to select it, and fix this with Generative Fill.
I click on Generate, and select on of the three options, again.
It’s so fast and easy.
But of course, we can remove further objects or people, too, anywhere in the 360 space.
In this case, I just simply remove this well here.
As you can see, the ground pattern is very complicated, and even more, there’s a big umbrella in the background
But I make sure to select the shadow, too, and click on generate.
And the second option looks perfect for me, so I keep it.
And before going any further, I click on Merge Down.
Then if I click on Spherical map on the bottom, the flat 360 image will open in a new window.
Here you can see that the nadir correction is done, and now that well is also removed from the image.
But Generative Fill is more than a smart removal tool.
Actually, we can use it to modify things or add something new to our 360 photos.
Let me show you how.
First I’ll focus on these leafless trees, and see, what if I say, I want nice green leaves on them.
Using this tool, the shape of the selection matters a lot, so I draw the outlines of the foliage.
And then, this time I give some prompts to the AI, so it’ll know what I’m thinking about.
I type in “tree with green leaves”. And click on Generate.
I get three versions of it, and this time I chose the third one.
And of course, I merge it down.
Then I turn with the virtual camera a little bit, and continue the same process with further trees.
After merging down the generations, I can see all the changes on the flat photo, too,
and fortunately it doesn’t matter if we generate something crossing the edge.
It looks perfect in 360 and of course, we can check it in this flat view, too.
It’s just the same as with the nadir correction.
So I just keep on editing all the trees in the pano.
And talking about modifying objects, let’s see what if I change these lanterns with something else...
or change these umbrellas with further street objects.
Only your imagination can set the limit.
But besides removing or modifying anything,
we can even add objects to the photo with the correct perspective.
Don’t forget, that the shape of the selection will affect the result in such a case, too.
I select a bigger area to add some grass.
I type in the keywords and start generating.
Then I add a bench and further objects, and let’s look at the reflection.
If I generate some water, AI will generate reflections, too.
And after a short creative process here you can see this 360 image before and after.
And imagine all the possibilities when it comes to virtual tours, shot even with empty rooms.
We can add any furniture, architectural solutions and whatever we want.
Let me show you an example, redesigning my attic working room.
I select a bigger area, just to see what happens and add some keywords.
Working with AI, Prompts are very important.
The better you can describe your thought, the better results you can get.
This time I like this setup, which is very similar to my other equipment in the room.
So I keep it.
Then I add some colorful pillows to this empty sofa, and maybe pimp up these plants in the window.
And I just add another window on the other side, too.
Afterall here is before and after in 360.
Maybe the biggest and most important change is the perfect nadir correction,
but of course, some tiny adjustments and added accessories can help us to create better looking virtual tour photos.
So as you can see, Generative fill can be very helpful and definitely usable with 360 photos, too.
Maybe there’s one more important thing to mention,
and it’s the fact that you need to have active internet connection during this editing process.
I’m not sure why, but maybe these generations are mostly going on in the cloud,
or AI is collecting ideas from online databases to generate stuffs.
Anyhow, Generative Fill doesn’t work in offline mode.
And if you like it, download your own Photoshop Beta version from Creative Cloud and start experimenting with it.
I’m sure that you’ll find it helpful in 360 photo retouching or even in 360 videos, too.
And if you like my tips and tricks, please thumbs up,
and for further 360 contents and tutorials subscribe to my channel.
See you next time.